Victoria Woodards leads early Tacoma mayor balloting

What’s more dangerous than a drunk driver? You, on your phone

Jul 17, 2017

With Gov Jay Inslee observing at his right, Washington State Patrol Trooper Cody Fath goes for a spin utilizing the distracted driver simulator on July 17. The Driving Under the Influence of Electronics Act, which prohibits hand-held phone use while driving and restricting hands-free use to a single touch, will go into effect on July 23.

sbloom@theolympian.com

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Ben Bennight of D’Iberville contacted the FBI about a comment on one of his YouTube videos in September. That comment was made by someone with the same name as the man accused in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida. Bennight, a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, said “evil people will do evil things,” and guns are not to blame.

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama on Feb. 12, 2018. Barack Obama's portrait was painted by Kehinde Wiley - an artist best known for his vibrant, large-scale paintings of African-Americans. Barack Obama shared a tidbit about Wiley's "initial impulse" for the work with Wiley later joking back, "So how do you explain that a lot of that is just simply not true?"

A woman flying from New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport on January 28 had her request to bring her emotional support animal – a peacock – on board declined by United Airlines. The Jet Set reported the woman purchased a second ticket for the animal and tried to board her flight, but was unsuccessful. In a statement, United Airlines said the traveller was told three times prior to arriving at the airport that the animal “did not meet the guidelines,” yet she still tried to board with the peacock.

A Senate panel hears Senate Bill 6079 on Jan. 19, 2018. The measure would exempt birth dates of state employees from disclosure under state records laws. Open government groups have opposed the measure, but state worker Melissa Kover said it would boost safety for public employees.

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) explains why the federal government always seems on the verge of a government shutdown. "It's bonkers," he says. Plus: why he was named the biggest 'Star Wars' geek in U.S. politics, his thoughts on the debate over taking down confederate statues and what Democrats need to do to win more elections in the age of President Trump. Filmed August 21, 2017 at Crown Bar in Tacoma.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman, Washington state's top elections official, shares what she wishes she would have done differently when a commission formed by the Trump administration asked her to hand over the state's voter data. Also, how she weathered cancer treatment with the help of people on social media, and why she loves Formula One racing. Filmed August 14, 2017 at McMenamin's Spar Cafe in Olympia.

Gov. Jay Inslee wants to change to the school-funding plan the Legislature approved this year. This clip is an excerpt from an episode of a political video series, Capitol Happy Hour, that will go online next week.

After a record-long session, lawmakers couldn’t find an agreement on the last of their unfinished business. That means the Legislature was set to go home late Thursday with at least two unresolved issues on the table: Rural water rights and the capital budget.

Kelly Green, Chief Communications & Legislative Affairs Officer for South Puget Sound Community College, gives a July 14 tour of the college's former library. The building is undergoing a nearly complete renovation that has been put on hold due to the current state operating budget stalemate.